Cannavaro gives Juve hope after 2-1 loss at Liverpool

A Fabio Cannavaro header enabled Juventus to leave Anfield in good heart despite a 2-1 defeat after Liverpool had threatened to run away with their emotional Champions League quarter-final, first leg last night.

In the day's other quarter-final at the Gerland stadium in France, midfielder Philip Cocu equalised 11 minutes from time to earn PSV Eindhoven a 1-1 away draw to Olympique Lyon.

After a series of tributes to the victims of the 1985 Heysel Stadium tragedy when 39 fans died on the last occasion the teams met, Liverpool immediately tore into the attack.

They went ahead with a low volley from centre-back Sami Hyypia following a 10th-minute corner and doubled the lead in the 25th with a superb long-range effort by midfielder Luis Garcia.

Juventus, who had conceded only two goals in eight previous Champions League games this season, improved in the second half and claimed a vital away goal when Cannavaro's header embarrassed Liverpool's 19-year-old goalkeeper Scott Carson in the 63rd minute.

The significance of the match was lost on no one in Liverpool.

The city's newspaper, The Liverpool Echo, printed the names of the 39 victims of Heysel on its front page yesterday, above a banner headline which read simply "We're Sorry".

A special match was staged in Liverpool yesterday afternoon between fans of the two clubs while a delegation was dispatched to Liverpool's John Lennon airport to welcome Juventus players and fans to the city.

Before kick-off Phil Neal and Michel Platini, the respective captains at Heysel in 1985, took part in a ceremony in which fans carried a banner from the Liverpool supporters' end - the famous Spion Kop - to the visiting fans' end of the ground.

The banner bore the message "In Memoria e Amicizia" (in memory and friendship) along with the names of the 39 victims of the disaster.

Visiting fans were all given a commemorative wristband in black, white and red - the three colours of the two clubs - and many joined in an emotional rendition of the Liverpool fans' anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone".

During the minute's silence before kick-off in memory of the Heysel victims and the death of Pope John Paul, Liverpool fans held up a collage of cards to spell out the message "Amicizia" (friendship) to the Juve fans, who responded by clapping.

Lyon went ahead in the 12th minute when Florent Malouda's low right-footed shot surprised keeper Gomes at the near post.

Cocu shocked Lyon, who had dominated for an hour, with a solo run and speculative shot from the edge of the box that went inside goalkeeper Gregory Coupet's left-hand post.

Lyon should have been two up by then but just past the hour Gomes dived to his left to turn away Govou's close-range shot with the goal at the striker's mercy.

Quarter-finals

Liverpool (England) vs Juventus (Italy) 2-1

Olym. Lyon (France) vs PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) 1-1

(Reverse fixtures Wednesday, April 13)

Playing Today

Milan (Italy) vs Inter (Italy)
Chelsea (England) vs Bayern Munich (Germany)

(Reverse fixtures Tuesday, April 12)

Semi-finals (April 26/27; May 3/4)

Chelsea or Bayern Munich vs Liverpool or Juventus
Milan or Inter vs Lyon or PSV Eindhoven

Final: May 25, Istanbul.